Chapter 2 A Handsome Senior (Part Two)

Leona was aware that she needed to work hard to earn money. Hence, after her college was over, Leona would go to work in society. In this way, she could engage herself in work and had the excuse to stay away from the Ling family and be on her own. York Zhao was the successor of the Zhao Company, which was much larger than the Mu Company. His future wife would be the daughter of some big entrepreneur of the same status as they were. Leona knew that she would not be accepted by the elders of the Zhao family.

Even in the college, Leona had garnered a lot of undue attention of girls who even taunted her and gave her unsolicited advice to stay away from York because she did not deserve him. Leona had never thought about being with York, so she didn't take it to heart. Leona had her own life to focus on. Leona shook her head slightly and said, "Thank you, York. I'm running out of time. Please get out of my way!"

"Don't refuse me, okay? Even if you are in a hurry, you should eat first before you go to work. Otherwise, you will be exhausted. I promise I'll take you there because my car is faster than your bicycle. Or are you still going to be embarrassed by accepting my kindness?" York said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, York. I'm in a hurry. Could you please step aside?" Leona said again. She checked the time at the old second-hand mobile phone in her hand. The screen of the mobile phone was slightly wrinkled, but Leona still managed to buy it with her first salary. It was an old and tattered handset. It was certainly not a treasure that anyone else would pick up even if it was lying on a roadside. Yet, for Leona, it was like her first milestone, a mark of her ability to make a living on her own.

Time was running out. As York blocked the door, all her classmates were also stuck in the classroom. Leona felt embarrassed for having to be the center of attraction once again. She could hear a lot of hustle-bustle going on around her. Many boys were kicking up a fuss and girls making sarcastic remarks. Once again, Leona awkwardly asked York to step aside.

"Leona, York has invited you so sincerely. You should accept it!"

"Exactly! Let York drive you to work today." Some boys started to make fun of her.

"Maybe Leona is just pretending to be too pure and lofty. How could a guy as excellent as York fall in love with her?" Taunted a girl.

Leona tried to ignore all such remarks. She knew she could do nothing about it. York was the young master of a famous family, while she was just an illegitimate daughter who had no status of her own. The gap between the two of them was too big. Although Leona would like to be with a handsome and easygoing boy like York, she knew her identity very well and always kept it in mind. She hoped she could find an honest and caring man as her future husband. Even if he was an ordinary person, she would feel grateful. At this time of her life, love was a luxury for Leona that she could not even think of it as she was struggling to make her ends meet and arrange for her college fees by doing part-time jobs. Hence she was certainly not in the mood to flirt with anyone.

Seeing the uneasiness on Leona's face, York finally gave up. He immediately leaned sideways to make way for her. "Okay, I'll get out of the way. But don't turn me down again, okay." York stepped aside and gave way to Leona.

Leona nodded gratefully and walked past him quickly. A gust of fragrance came across as Leona walked past. York closed his eyes for a moment and chased the lingering fragrance. There was a distinct subtlety in that fragrance that was different from the expensive and luxurious perfumes used by other girls. The faint fragrance from Leona's body would always last and linger longer. Seeing that Leona's figure receding faster than a bat of an eyelid, York's eyes were full of helplessness. This girl was too defensive.

Had it been any other girl, she would have yielded to him long ago under such strong persistence, but Leona was still indifferent. And this is exactly what made York all the more inclined towards her. Leona was like a rose in a storm, seemingly delicate but indomitable. That was the spirit that York liked about her. If Leona was like any other girl, he would not have given her a second thought.

However, Leona's continual rejection and running away from him, made him frustrated. After all, he was the prince charming in almost every girl's eyes at H University. Perhaps in Leona's eyes York might not be the way he thought he was. Otherwise, why would she not agree to be with him?

Leona traveled through the green shade of the H University, and from time to time, she even spotted a pair of couples passing by. It was normal for a university student to be in a relationship with each other, and even the instructors wouldn't be serious about it. Leona rushed to the corner of the garage where an old outworn bike was parked. Leona funded this one as well all by herself. It was a great time saver when she had to shuttle between her work shifts and college. Although the Ling family had several fancy cars, none of them was for Leona.

The students at H University came from wealthy families. Several luxurious cars often came to pick up and drop some of them after school, while many of them drove luxury cars to school all by themselves. Leona would never choose to go through the main gate of the school out of fear that the luxury cars might be scraped by her bike. If that ever happened, she could afford no compensation.

After the entire day's work, when Leona finally made it home, it was already eleven o'clock in the evening. To her surprise, the lights in the living room were on. Leona wondered if there was a guest at home at this late hour! Leona knew Cynthia would still be awake. Leona didn't want to be seen by her, lest she should fall prey to Cynthia's teasing and taunts. Hence, Leona quickened her pace and walked inside as fast as she could.